Photographs from the gay rights movement, a look back

On Wednesday, June 26, 2013 the Supreme Court handed a significant victory to gay rights advocates by recognizing that married gay men and women are eligible for federal benefits. Presented here is a look at the history of the gay rights movement in the United States in photos from the 1960′s through the present.

Homosexuals and their supporters march up New York’s Fifth Avenue, June 27, 1977 towards a rally site in Central Park. The march was duplicated in more than half a dozen cities around the nation, as groups demonstrated in support of demands for equal rights for homosexuals. (AP Photo/Carlos Rene Perez) #

A demonstrator carries a sign as he marches with others in a picket line at City Hall calling for the protection of rights for homosexuals, June 10, 1970, in New York City. The signs reads: "Over 500,000 gay voters will not be misrepresented." (AP Photo/Eddie Adams) #

Two young men, one wearing a dress, dance in New York's Central Park, June 27, 1971, in front of a group of gays and sympathizers. A march up Sixth Avenue and rally in the park highlighted Gay Pride week. About 5,000 people attended the rally in the park. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm) #

In this June 26, 1978 file photo, then San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk is seen in San Francisco's seventh annual Gay Freedom parade. A network of Long Island gay and lesbian advocacy groups is honoring the slain gay rights activist this weekend. Milk grew up on Long Island and graduated from high school there in the late 1940s _ keeping his sexuality a well-guarded secret. (AP Photo/File) #

Hundreds of gay rights activists protest the "diminished capacity" verdict against former Supervisor Dan White for the double assassination of Mayor George Moscone and the city's first openly gay Supervisor, Harvey Milk at Sheridan Square in New York's Greenwich Village section, Tuesday night, May 22, 1979. The demonstrators gathered before a police station then marched to the square, calling on Mayor Koch to state where he stands on protection for "his lesbian and gay constituences." One sign reads, "Stop Police Brutality Against Lesbians and Gay Men." (AP Photo) #

As demonstrators reach for rocks, a San Francisco police car goes up in flames as some 5,000 persons rioted following return of verdict in the Dan White trial, May 22, 1979. White was convicted of manslaughter in the slayings of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) #

Police wrestle with a demonstrator in front of San Francisco’s City Hall, May 22, 1979, which erupted following jury’s verdict of two counts of voluntary manslaughter for Dan White in the killings of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) #

In this April 9, 1969 file picture, a student leader speaks from steps of the Harvard administration building at Cambridge, Mass. as part of a protest against Reserve Officers Training Corps program at the university. Forty years ago, ROTC units disappeared from Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Stanford and other elite schools, casualties of Vietnam-era tension and academic power struggles. Now, those same schools are moving toward welcoming ROTC units back thanks to the imminent demise of "don't ask, don't tell," the policy barring gays from serving openly in the U.S. military. (AP Photo/Bill Chaplis) #

Staff Sgt. Perry Watkins, a self-avowed homosexual, is waiting to see if the Army appeals federal court rulings that he can stay in the service in Tacoma, Washington on Nov. 13, 1982. He says he told the Army before he was drafted in 1968 that he was gay and that he has performed in drag in numerous Army shows. For years the Army did nothing, but now wants him out. “I didn’t lie to the Army, “says Watkins, 34. (AP Photo/Barry Sweet) #

Police arrest a member of a gay activities group that was demonstrating and attempting to block the entrance to the Supreme Court, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 1987, Washington, D.C. Several hundred took part in the protest. (AP Photo/Scott Stewart) #

An identified woman tries to comfort a wheelchair-bound Aids victim and his friend during the rally on the Mall for the participants of the Lesbian and Gay Rights March on Washington, Sunday, Oct. 11, 1987, Washington, D.C. Park police estimate some 200,000 people attended the rally. (AP Photo/Scott Stewart) #

In this April 25, 1993 file photo, a view from atop the Washington Monument shows 300,000 people gathered for the National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights in the U.S. capital. A Democrat in the White House. Demands for sweeping civil rights protections. Religious opponents working to undo a string of state-based victories. That was the backdrop in 1979 when gay rights activists staged their first national march in Washington. Thirty years later, with the landscape looking much the same, thousands of advocates are preparing to rally again in the nation's capital this weekend. (AP Photo/Mark Wilson, file) #

Gay rights activists gather on the Mall prior to the start of a march, Sunday, April 25, 1993, Washington, D.C. Hundreds of thousands were expected for the march they hope will mark a turning point in their fight for acceptance and equal rights in an often hostile society. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds) #

Marlin Hofer, left foreground, and David Briley, both from Portland, Ore., embrace during a wedding-interfaith ceremony in front of the Internal Revenue Service Building, Saturday, April 24, 1993, Washington, D.C. Hofer is HIV positive and Briley has Aids. This was one of several events leading to Sundays gay rights march. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) #

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 24: Wendy Benner-Leon (R) and Terri Leon-Benner (L), from Boston, embrace 24 April 1993 after exchanging wedding vows at an Interfaith Ceremony of Commitment in front of the Internal Revenue Service Building. The gay and lesbian wedding ceremony, which included several couples, was a demonstration for same-sex couples' rights under U.S. tax law. JENNIFER LAW/AFP/Getty Images #

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 25: Tom Healy of San Francisco walks briskly across the Ellipse behind the White House 25 April 1993 while trailing a rainbow banner, symbol of a diverse United States. Estimates say that 1,000,000 people are expected to participate in the gay rights march.ARYEH RABINOVICH/AFP/Getty Images #

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Gay and lesbian activists feign death during a demonstration in Los Angeles 15 August 2000 at Pershing Square in Los Angeles, CA 15 August 2000. Meanwhile, the director of a leading US homosexual rights organization addressed the Democratic National Convention, calling for support of Vice President Al Gore in his bid for the presidency. GERARD BURKHART/AFP/Getty Images #

Michael Maltenfort, left, and Andy Thayer yell as they are lead away by two police officers for trying to lock and chain one of two doors at the Cook County, Illinois Marriage License Bureau after unsuccessfully requesting a marriage license February 14, 2001 inside Chicago's City Hall. The two were part of a group of Gay rights protesters. The Chicago Anti-Bashing Network organized the protest, called Freedom To Marry Day, to renew attention to gay marriage as an important civil rights issue and to counter anti-gay groups claim that it poses a threat to society. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Newsmakers) #

WASHINGTON - JUNE 26: (L-R) Rev. Rob Schenck of the National Clergy Council, Pastor Ken Wilde of the National Prayer Center and Yuko Takatsubaki of Portland Bible College in Portland, Oregon, pray outside the U.S. Supreme Court after a ruling on homosexual and privacy rights June 26, 2003 in Washington, DC. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot ban sodomy between consenting adults. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) #

TRENTON, NJ - JANUARY 12: Gay Rights activists celebrate after New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey signed the "Domestic Partnership Act" into law in his office at the New Jersey Statehouse January 12, 2004 in Trenton, New Jersey. Under the "Domestic Partnership Act" rights and legal protections will be granted to same-sex couples and elderly, opposite-sex domestic partners who share residence and basic living expenses. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images) #

PALM SPRINGS, CA - APRIL 16: Richard Sousa stands to the left of his partner of 52 years, Geri Pranger, as they are applauded after a speaker made a point about gay marriage at the 2004 Log Cabin Republicans National Convention and Liberty Education Forum National Symposium April 16, 2004 in Palm Springs, California. Convention officials say that this is the most important convention in the organization's history taking place during "the most important time in the movement for civil rights for all Americans." The Log Cabin Republicans represent conservative gays and lesbians. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) #

ASBURY PARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 21: Kevin Pilla (L), 43, and his partner of 23 years Thomas Mannix, 44, with dog Buddy, prepare for their civil union ceremony that will take place at midnight February 22, 2007 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The couple was registered as a domestic partnership in 1993 in New York and 2004 in New Jersey. They registered Monday in Asbury park and their new civil union status will give them more local and state rights. (Photo by Colin Archer/Getty Images) #

SALEM, OR - MAY 9: Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski (D) holds up two bills signed into law at the Oregon State Capital May 9, 2007 in Salem, OR. The Oregon Family Fairness Act, a bill that creates a new statute in Oregon law that would legally recognize committed same-sex relationships as Domestic Partnerships and The Oregon Equality Act, a non-discrimination bill that would prohibit discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation, on the basis of sexual orientation. (Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer/Getty Images) #

PORTLAND, OR - FEBRUARY 4: Kamm Prongay (2nd R) and Liz Kellogg (R) embrace as they register as Domestic Partners at the Multnomah County building February 4, 2008 in Portland, Oregon. Domestic partnership law that allows gay couples many of the same benefits as married couples, belatedly took effect after a federal judge's ruling on disqualifying petition signatures, including joint tax returns and the ability to make medical decisions on each other's behalf among others. (Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer/Getty Images) #

PORTLAND, OR - FEBRUARY 4: Jessica Blaylock, 9 months pregnant and due in two days, and her partner of nine-years Megan Greenauer, cheer after registering as domestic partners at the Multnomah County building February 4, 2008 in Portland, Oregon. Domestic partnership law that allows gay couples many of the same benefits as married couples, belatedly took effect after a federal judge's ruling on disqualifying petition signatures, including joint tax returns and the ability to make medical decisions on each other's behalf among others. (Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer/Getty Images) #

SAN FRANCISCO - JUNE 16: Del Martin (L) is kissed by San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom (C) as Martin and her partner Phyllis Lyon (R) are married by in a private ceremony at San Francisco City Hall June 16, 2008 in San Francisco, California. Martin and Lyon were the first couples to be married in San Francisco as same-sex marriages become legal in California. (Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez-Pool/Getty Images) #

IRVINE, CA - OCTOBER 16: The Rev. Dr. Paul Tellstrom (R), pastor of the Irvine United Congressional Church, volunteers at a phone bank to urge Californians to vote no on Proposition 8, which would outlaw same-sex marriages throughout California, in conservative-leaning Orange County on October 16, 2008 in Tustin, California. As same-sex marriages became legal in California on June 16, conservative churches vowed to fight it and are spearheading passage of Proposition 8 which would change the state constitution to recognize only marriages between one man and one woman as legal. Funding for the campaign to pass Prop 8 has dwarfed that of their opponents in large part because of the resources of conservative churches which maintain that homosexuality is sinful. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) #

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 24: Supporters of Proposition 8, which would outlaw same-sex marriage throughout California, rally during a 'Yes on 8 bus tour' stop at St. Frances X Cabrini Church on October 24, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. As same-sex marriages became legal in California on June 16, conservative churches vowed to fight it and are spearheading passage of Proposition 8 which would change the state constitution to recognize only marriages between one man and one woman as legal. Funding for the campaign to pass Prop 8 has dwarfed that of their opponents in large part because of the resources of conservative churches which maintain that homosexuality is sinful. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) #

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 6: Police officers detain a man as hundreds of mostly peaceful supporters of same-sex marriage march for miles in protest against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints November 6, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. The protest, which began outside the Los Angeles Mormon temple, opposes massive financial contributions to the Proposition 8 campaign, which voters passed and which changes the California Constitution to make gay marriage illegal. When same-sex marriages became legal in California on June 16, conservative churches vowed to fight it and successfully passed Proposition 8 with funds that dwarfed that of their opponents. Demonstrators say the Mormon Church contributed some $35 million to pass the measure. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) #

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 6: Hundreds of supporters of same-sex marriage march for miles in protest against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints November 6, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. The protest, which began outside the Los Angeles Mormon temple, opposes massive financial contributions to the Proposition 8 campaign, which voters passed and which changes the California Constitution to make gay marriage illegal. When same-sex marriages became legal in California on June 16, conservative churches vowed to fight it and successfully passed Proposition 8 with funds that dwarfed that of their opponents. Demonstrators say the Mormon Church contributed some $35 million to pass the measure. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) #

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 6: Supporters of same-sex marriage demonstrate near the Los Angeles Mormon Temple, in the distance, before marching for miles in protest against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints November 6, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. The protest, which began outside the Los Angeles Mormon temple, opposes massive financial contributions to the Proposition 8 campaign, which voters passed and which changes the California Constitution to make gay marriage illegal. When same-sex marriages became legal in California on June 16, conservative churches vowed to fight it and successfully passed Proposition 8 with funds that dwarfed that of their opponents. Demonstrators say the Mormon Church contributed some $35 million to pass the measure. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) #

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 04: A marcher waves a gay rainbow flag over the 101 freeway as same-sex marriage supporters rally on the eve of a state Supreme Court hearing on Proposition 8, the initiative that changed the Constitution to make gay marriage illegal, on March 4, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. An estimated 18,000 same-sex couples were married from May 16, 2008 when the state Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision ruled that the state's constitution gives gays and lesbians the right to marry, and November 4 when voters approved Propostion 8. The court is scheduled to hear oral arguments and related court petitions tomorrow seeking to overturn the measure. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) #

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 04: Wesley Gann and Jerry Johnson (R), who were legally married, join same-sex marriage supporters rallying on the eve of a state Supreme Court hearing on Proposition 8, the initiative that changed the Constitution to make gay marriage illegal, on March 4, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. An estimated 18,000 same-sex couples were married from May 16, 2008 when the state Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision ruled that the state's constitution gives gays and lesbians the right to marry, and November 4 when voters approved Propostion 8. The court is scheduled to hear oral arguments and related court petitions tomorrow seeking to overturn the measure. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) #

DES MOINES, IA - APRIL 27: Amy Klein-Matheny (L) gets a kiss from her partner Jennifer before getting married in the Polk County Administration Building April 27, 2009 in Des Moines, Iowa. Today was the first day gay couples were allowed to marry in the state following an April 3, 2009 ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court which declared a legislative ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) #

SAN FRANCISCO - MAY 26: Supporters of same-sex marriage block Van Ness Avenue following the California Supreme Court's ruling to uphold Proposition 8 May 26, 2009 in San Francisco, California. The California State Supreme Court voted 6-1 to uphold proposition 8 which makes it illegal for same-sex couples to marry in the state of California. More than 18,000 same-sex couples that wed before prop 8 was voted in will still be legally married. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) #

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 28: Celebrity Grand Marshals Lt. Dan Choi, a graduate of West Point and Actress Cloris Leachman takes part in the 39th annual gay pride parade June 28, 2009 in San Francisco, California. The parade drew hundreds of thousands of people to downtown San Francisco to celebrate gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender pride. (Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images) #

WASHINGTON - MARCH 09: WASHINGTON - MARCH 09: DC Mayor Adrian Fenty (C) poses for photos with newly wed couples, (L-R) Rocky Galloway, Reggie Stanley, Candy Holmes and Darlene Garner after their weddings on the first day same-sex couples are legal to wed under a new law March 9, 2010 in Washington, DC. The District of Columbia has become the sixth in the nation to recognize same-sex marriage. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) #

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 15: Members of the U.S. Park Police arrest a veteran and gay rights activist who has handcuffed himself to the fence of the White House during a protest November 15, 2010 in Washington, DC. Activists staged the protest to call on the Obama Administration and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to keep their promises on repealing the "Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell" policy, which prevented gay people from serving openly, during the lame-duck session of the Congress. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) #

DENVER, CO-May 01, 2013: Erin Ivie, 23, left, and her partner Kristyn Lindstrom, 25, leave to do wedding photos, outside in the snow, after their civil-union ceremony in downtown Denver, May 01, 2013. Hundreds of Colorado gay and lesbian couples put an official government seal on their relationships. (Photo By RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post) #

A same-sex marriage supporter (L) and their opponent (R) scuffle during a demonstration in front of the US Supreme Court on March 26, 2013 in Washington, DC. The US Supreme Court on Tuesday takes up the emotionally charged issue of gay marriage as it considers arguments that it should make history and extend equal rights to same-sex couples. Waving US and rainbow flags, hundreds of gay marriage supporters braved the cold to rally outside the court along with a smaller group of opponents, some pushing strollers. Some slept outside in hopes of witnessing the historic hearing. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images #

Plaintiff of the US v. Windsor case challenging the constitutionality of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), 83-year-old lesbian widow Edie Windsor (C), greets same-sex marriage supporters as she leaves the Supreme Court on March 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. The US Supreme Court tackled same-sex unions for a second day Wednesday, hearing arguments for and against the 1996 US law defining marriage as between one man and one woman. After the nine justices mulled arguments on a California law outlawing gay marriage on Tuesday, they took up a challenge to the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The 1996 law prevents couples who have tied the knot in nine states -- where same-sex marriage is legal -- from enjoying the same federal rights as heterosexual couples. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images #

Former US Army Lt. Dan Choi(L), a gay rights activist and opponent of "Don't ask Don't Tell", stands with Joe Beasley (2L), of the Rainbow Push, American Civil Rights era icon Reverend C.T. Vivian (2R) and Dr. Charles Steele Jr. (R), Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse March 28, 2013 in Washington, DC. The trial of Choi, which began in August 2011, resumes Thursday in federal court. The former Iraq War vet and graduate of West Point is going to trial to face charges that stem from a November 2010 arrest for chaining himself to the White House fence to protest Don't Ask, Don't Tell. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images #

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 25: Plaintiff couple Sandy Stier (L) and Kris Perry (R) arrive for their Proposition 8 case before the U.S. Supreme Court outside the U.S. Supreme Court building on June 25, 2013 in Washington, DC. The high court convened again today to rule on some high profile decisions including two on gay marriage and one on voting rights. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) #

Attorney David Boies (4th L), flanked by Jeff Zarrillo (2nd L), Paul Katami (3rd L), Sandy Stier (5th L) and Kris Perry (6th L, obscured), the four plaintiffs in the case against California's gay marriage ban known as Prop 8, are directed by police as they cross the plaza in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, June 26, 2013. On Wednesday the Supreme Court handed a significant victory to gay rights advocates by recognizing that married gay men and women are eligible for federal benefits and paving the way for same-sex marriage in California. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS LAW) #

Revelers party in the street at a celebration for the U. S. Supreme Court's rulings on Prop. 8 and DOMA in the Castro District in San Francisco, Calif. on Wednesday, June 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Mathew Sumner) #

People embrace and cheer as they join a crowd celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the Defense of Marriage Act outside the Stonewall Inn in New York June 26, 2013. The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark victory for gay rights on Wednesday by forcing the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages in states where it is legal and paving the way for it in California, the most populous state. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY) #

People with banners cheer at a rally in West Hollywood, California after the United States Supreme Court ruled on California's Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act June 26, 2013. The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark victory for gay rights on Wednesday by forcing the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages in states where it is legal and paving the way for it in California, the most populous state. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS) #

Married couple Bill Hacket, 53, (L) and Thom Uber hold hands in West Hollywood, California after the United States Supreme court ruled on California's Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act, June 26, 2013. The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark victory for gay rights on Wednesday by forcing the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages in states where it is legal and paving the way for it in California, the most populous state. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS) #

Kris Perry, foreground left, kisses Sandy Stier as they are married at City Hall in San Francisco, Friday, June 28, 2013. Stier and Perry were married Friday, June 28, 2013, after a federal appeals court on Friday cleared the way for the state of California to immediately resume issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples after a 4 1/2-year freeze. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) #